The People's Republic of China is one of the largest importers and exporters of food products in the world. After the melamine crisis fundamentally challenged its food legal infrastructure, the PRC now boasts one of the most modern systems of food law in the world. This makes Chinese food law very interesting for its own sake but also as a source for comparison and inspiration. This book aims to make Chinese food law accessible to a non-Chinese audience. The book follows the same legal-systematic approach that has proven its usefulness in explaining EU food law in the EU Food Law Handbook. Topics discussed include the history of Chinese food law, general principles, the institutional framework, the difference between food and edible agricultural products, the homology of food and medicine, authorization requirements for food additives, novel food materials, health foods, food for special medical purposes and infant formula, genetically modified organisms, maximum limits for residues and other contaminants, process requirements to prevent and deal with food safety incidents, labelling requirements including nutrition and health claims and food law enforcement. Where appropriate we have taken into account the perspective of businesses wishing to export to China. You don't need a background related to food, to law or to China to enjoy this book. Readers may include students or researchers with an interest in Chinese or comparative food law, but also public authorities, NGOs or food businesses who wish to better understand or to take inspiration from food law in the People's Republic of China.

The FDA¿s increased attention to food imports from China is an indicator of safety concerns as imported food becomes more common in the U.S. Addressing safety risks associated with these imports is difficult because of the vast array of products from China, China¿s weak enforcement of food safety standards, its heavy use of ag. chem., and environ. pollution. FDA refusals of food shipments from China suggest recurring problems with ¿filth,¿ unsafe additives, labeling, and vet. drug residues in fish and shellfish. Chinese authorities try to control food export safety by certifying exporters and the farms that supply them. However, monitoring such a wide range of products for the different hazards is a difficult challenge for Chinese and U.S. officials. Ill.

Millions of Americans are taking prescription drugs made in China and don't know it-- and pharmaceutical companies are not eager to tell them. This probing book examines the implications for the quality and availability of vital medicines for consumers. Several decades ago, penicillin, vitamin C, and many other prescription and over-the-counter products were manufactured in the United States. But with the rise of globalization, antibiotics, antidepressants, birth control pills, blood pressure medicines, cancer drugs, among many others are made in China and sold in the United States. China's biggest impact on the US drug supply is making essential ingredients for thousands of medicines found in American homes and used in hospital intensive care units and operating rooms. The authors convincingly argue that there are at least two major problems with this scenario. First, it is inherently risky for the United States to become dependent on any one country as a source for vital medicines, especially given the uncertainties of geopolitics. For example, if an altercation in the South China Sea causes military personnel to be wounded, doctors may rely upon medicines with essential ingredients made by the adversary. Second, lapses in safety standards and quality control in Chinese manufacturing are a risk. Citing the concerns of FDA officials and insiders within the pharmaceutical industry, the authors document incidents of illness and death caused by contaminated medications that prompted reform. This is a disturbing, well-researched book and a wake-up call for improving the current system of drug supply and manufacturing.